Unexpected Alpha is available for pre-order. Release date is Thursday, February 5th. Until then, here's a quick look at the start of the story.
Rowan watched the group of a half dozen men strut into his
bar. He sniffed the air, checking their scents. It was more habit than
necessity. He knew this crowd well enough. As the only regional bar owned by a
werewolf, The Distant Howl was a common hangout for the local Pack.
“Drinks for everyone,” the mouthy Phillip called, twirling
his finger above his head, making it look like he was calling for a helicopter
to take off. Considering it was four in the afternoon, Phillip would be buying
drinks for his friends and two other bar patrons. Cheap bastard.
And from past experience, Rowan knew Craigh would likely be
covering the group’s tab at the end of the night. The gentle giant wouldn’t say
“no” to his friends.
When Rowan had suggested Phillip might be taking advantage
of him, Craigh had blushed, stammered something about childhood friends, and
paid the bill anyway.
Craigh’s loyalty to his friend had often made Rowan wonder
if they were lovers, or fuck buddies at the least. But Phillip was straight. He
didn’t even fake gay well. If he was fucking Craigh, it had nothing to do with
pleasure. It would have to be about power, dominance.
Rowan’s inner beast snarled at the thought of any wolf
dominating Craigh—except him, of course.
He forced air into his lungs, reminding his wolf they hadn’t
claimed Craigh so they couldn’t make demands on his behavior. Still Phillip
bore watching.
And if Phillip was buying drinks—the little shit—it meant
Craigh would be sticking around for a few hours.
Rowan licked his lips as he stared at the sexy wolf standing
at the back of the small crowd of shifters. He’d been watching Craigh for more
than a year now—ever since he and his group of Lone Wolves had moved to the
edge of the McNeil River Pack’s land. Rowan thought he’d been remarkably
patient, staying in the background, giving Craigh some space but damn...that
sweet thing needed to be fucked, hard and deep.
Very few people would look at Craigh and think “sweet
thing.” The kid was over six feet and pure muscle. Muscles Rowan intended to
make good use of—with his lips, his tongue and his teeth. His cock twitched at
the idea of marking that pretty skin with a few well-placed bites. Plus, with
all those muscles, Rowan was convinced he could ride Craigh long and rough and
the sexy man would take it and love every stroke.
But that was for later. He’d waited this long. He could wait
a little longer. The kid was just so shy, quiet. It made Rowan eager to see him
scream in pleasure—and maybe a hint of pain.
Rowan stepped up to the front of the bar, grabbing glasses
and taking orders. After the myriad of drinks was shouted across the counter, he
started mixing. He’d been doing this for years and could combine a cocktail
while carrying on a coherent conversation about everything from the latest
happenings on soap opera drama to existentialism in modern art. Surely
discovering the reason for Phillip’s sudden philanthropy wouldn’t be difficult.
“Are we celebrating something?” Rowan asked as he placed the
third drink on the bar. It was Craigh’s. Gin and tonic, heavy on the tonic. The
kid didn’t drink much.
Craigh reached out and wrapped his fingers around the base
of the glass, his gaze lifting briefly to meet Rowan’s. Those pretty green eyes
stared for a moment then dropped away. Sweet. Fuck.
“Yes!” Phillip raised his fists in the air. “Alpha
challenge.”
Rowan’s spine snapped upright. An Alpha challenge was a big
deal. He scanned the wolves before him, wondering which one had dared challenge
the current Alpha.
As a GDLW—God Damned Lone Wolf for those on the
outside—Rowan didn’t track Pack politics much but he knew the local Alpha was a
beast—strong and just a bit crazy. A dangerous combination for someone stupid
enough to challenge him.
“Who?” Rowan asked as he placed the next glass on the
counter.
“My man—” Phillip clapped his hand on Craigh’s shoulder.
“Craigh.”
The air rushed from Rowan’s lungs and it was all he could do not to gasp. Craigh? His sweet Craigh had challenged the Alpha?
